LED Daytime Running Lights
SécuritéAverage price
300€ - 1500€
LED daytime running lights (Light Emitting Diode), also known by the acronym DRL (Daytime Running Lights), are an essential active safety feature on modern vehicles. Made mandatory on all new passenger car and light commercial vehicle models marketed in the European Union since February 2011, their primary function is to improve vehicle visibility during the day. Unlike low beam headlights, they are not designed to illuminate the road for the driver, but to ensure the vehicle is seen earlier and more clearly by other road users (pedestrians, cyclists, other motorists). LED technology offers significant advantages over older halogen bulbs: very low energy consumption, a nearly unlimited lifespan (often equal to that of the vehicle), and a highly noticeable, intense white light. Furthermore, the compactness and flexibility of LEDs allow manufacturers to create distinctive and complex light signatures, which have become a key element of a brand's visual identity and design. They switch on automatically when the engine starts and turn off or dim when the parking lights or low beams are activated.
Benefits
- ✓Enhanced safety thanks to better daytime vehicle visibility.
- ✓Low energy consumption, reducing the impact on fuel economy.
- ✓Exceptional lifespan, generally requiring no replacement.
- ✓Enables a distinctive and modern light signature, enhancing the vehicle's design.
Learn more
What are LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs)?
LED daytime running lights, or DRLs, are lighting devices located at the front of vehicles, designed to be used during daylight hours. Their purpose is not to illuminate the road, but to make the car much more visible to others. Since 2011, their installation has been mandatory on all new cars sold in Europe, a regulation that has significantly enhanced road safety. They activate automatically as soon as the engine is started, and their intensity decreases or they turn off completely when the driver switches on the parking lights or low beams, to avoid dazzling other road users at night.
The undeniable advantages of LED technology
The adoption of LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology for daytime running lights represents a true revolution compared to older halogen bulbs. The benefits are multiple, impacting safety, efficiency, and design alike.
Operation and integration with other headlights
LED daytime running lights are managed by the vehicle's onboard electronics. A light sensor, often the same one that manages the automatic headlight activation, detects ambient light conditions. In broad daylight, only the DRLs are active at full power. When light levels drop (tunnels, dusk, heavy rain), the system automatically switches to low beams. At this point, the daytime running lights dim to act as parking lights or turn off completely, depending on the manufacturer's configuration.
On vehicles equipped with Full LED or Matrix LED headlights, daytime running lights are often integrated into the same optical unit, sharing space with the indicators, low beams, and high beams, creating a cohesive technological and aesthetic assembly.
Maintenance and replacement cost
Thanks to their incredible longevity, LED daytime running lights require no special maintenance. The main risk is breakage following a minor impact or accident. Unlike a halogen bulb, which can be changed in a few minutes for a few euros, replacing an LED DRL module is a much more complex and costly operation. Generally, it is not a matter of replacing a single diode, but rather the entire headlight assembly or a significant part of it. The bill can quickly escalate, ranging from a few hundred to over €1,500 on premium models, including labor. It is therefore essential to have good insurance coverage for glass and headlight breakage.
Compatible brands
Finitions équipées
253 finition(s) proposent cet équipement
Ford Ford Fiesta
Connected (7th generation / Mk7) (2020-2023)
Ford Ford Fiesta
Titanium (7th generation / Mk7) (2017-2023)
Ford Ford Fiesta
Trend (6th generation / Mk6) (2010-2017)
Ford Ford Fiesta
Trend (7th generation / Mk7) (2017-2023)
Ford Ford Focus
Trend (Mk3) (2011-2018)
Ford Ford Galaxy
Titanium (3rd generation) (2015-2022)
Ford Ford Grand C-Max
Titanium (Phase 2 / Facelift) (2015-2019)
Ford Ford Ka+
Active (Ka+ facelift / 2nd phase) (2018-2019)
Ford Ford Ka+
Active Black Series (Ka+ 2nd phase) (2018-2019)
Ford Ford Ka+
Active Outdoor (Ka+ 2nd phase) (2018-2019)
Ford Ford Ka+
Ultimate (1st generation Ka+) (2016-2019)
Ford Ford Mondeo
Titanium (4th generation Mk4) (2010-2014)
Ford Ford Mondeo
Titanium (5th generation Mk5) (2015-2022)
Ford Ford Mondeo
Trend (5th generation Mk5) (2015-2019)
Ford Ford Mondeo
Trend Hybrid (5th generation Mk5) (2019-2022)
Ford Ford Ranger
Limited (Facelifted T6 Generation) (2016-2019)
Ford Ford Ranger
Limited (Generation T6.2) (2019-2022)
Ford Ford Ranger
XLT (T6.2 Generation) (2019-2022)
Ford Ford S-Max
Trend (2nd generation) (2015-2020)
Ford Ford Tourneo
Titanium (Tourneo Custom 1st generation facelift) (2018-2023)
Associated equipment
Automatic headlight activation
Automatic headlight activation is a driver assistance system designed to improve safety and driver comfort. Using a light sensor, usually located on the upper part of the windshield near the rearview mirror, the vehicle detects variations in ambient light. When the light level drops below a predefined threshold, such as at dusk, when entering a tunnel, in an underground parking lot, or during heavy weather, the system automatically commands the activation of the low beam headlights and tail lights. Conversely, when the light level becomes sufficient again, the lights turn off by themselves. This automation frees the driver from any manual intervention, allowing them to focus fully on the road. In addition to ensuring optimal visibility under all circumstances, this device prevents potentially dangerous oversights and avoids fines related to a lack of regulatory lighting. Often coupled with automatic windshield wipers, it is now standard equipment on the majority of new vehicles, actively contributing to active and passive safety.
LED Light Signature
The LED light signature is an essential design and safety element on modern vehicles. It refers to the unique pattern formed by daytime running lights (DRLs), headlights, and taillights, using light-emitting diode (LED) technology. More than just lighting, it constitutes a true visual identity that makes it possible to recognize a car brand or model, even from a distance or in the dark. Automakers compete in creativity to design distinctive signatures: the rings for BMW, the fangs or claws for Peugeot, the 'C' shape for Renault, or the complex and dynamic lines for Audi. Beyond the aesthetic aspect, the LED light signature plays a crucial role in active safety. LEDs offer intense brightness and a color close to daylight, making the vehicle much more visible to other road users, day and night. This technology, which is more durable and less energy-consuming than halogen or xenon bulbs, has enabled the emergence of intelligent lighting systems, such as matrix headlights (Matrix LED), which adapt the light beam in real time to avoid dazzling other drivers.
LED Tail Lights
LED (Light Emitting Diode) tail lights represent a major technological advancement in automotive lighting, gradually replacing traditional halogen bulbs. Unlike the latter, which produce light by heating a filament, LEDs operate through the movement of electrons within a semiconductor material, a process that generates light almost instantaneously and with very little heat production. This technology offers more intense and sharper brightness, significantly improving vehicle visibility for other road users, both day and night. In addition to their primary function (running lights, brake lights, turn signals), LED tail lights have become a distinct design element in their own right. Their small size and flexibility allow manufacturers to create complex and distinctive light signatures, reinforcing a model's visual identity. Their exceptional durability, often equivalent to the lifespan of the vehicle, and their low energy consumption make them an essential standard for active safety and the energy efficiency of modern cars.
Full LED Headlights
Full LED (Light Emitting Diode) headlights represent a major breakthrough in automotive lighting technology, gradually replacing older halogen and xenon technologies. Unlike basic 'LED' headlights which only use this technology for daytime running lights, a 'Full LED' system uses light-emitting diodes for all lighting functions: low beams, high beams, turn signals, and daytime running lights. This technology delivers a powerful white light very close to daylight (approximately 6000K), which significantly improves nighttime visibility as well as contrast and color perception. Drivers can thus better anticipate obstacles, and visual fatigue is reduced. In addition to their lighting performance, Full LED headlights are renowned for their energy efficiency, consuming up to 70% less energy than halogen bulbs. Their lifespan is also exceptional, often exceeding that of the vehicle itself, eliminating replacement costs. Finally, their compactness gives designers almost total freedom to create complex and distinctive light signatures, which have become a key element of a brand's identity.
High Beam Assist
The High Beam Assist, also known as High Beam Control, is an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) designed to optimize nighttime lighting and improve safety. Using a camera usually located at the top of the windshield, near the interior rearview mirror, the system continuously analyzes traffic conditions ahead of the vehicle. It detects the headlights of oncoming cars as well as the taillights of vehicles ahead. When the road is clear, the system automatically activates the high beams to provide maximum visibility for the driver. As soon as another light source is identified, it instantly switches back to low beams to avoid dazzling other road users. This automated management not only increases comfort by relieving the driver of this repetitive task, but above all ensures that the high beams are used as often as possible, more effectively illuminating the road, verges, and road signs. The most advanced versions, such as matrix LED systems, can even modulate the light beam to selectively shadow other vehicles while maintaining high beams on the rest of the environment.